Commonly Used Medications Linked to Dementia

Cleaning out our medicine cabinet.

Every once in a awhile, I come across something that I want everyone I care about to read. The latest is a study that found a significant link between high use of anticholinergic drugs - including popular non-prescription sleep aids and the antihistamine Benadryl - and increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older people.

Anticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine which stimulates muscle contractions. They treat things like gastrointestinal problems, overactive bladder, respiratory disorders, insomnia, depression and allergies. Benadryl and Tylenol PM are commonly used anticholinergic that are sold over-the-counter. In the study, the drugs were found to have a cumulative effect that may not be reversible. You can view a list of anticholinergic drugs available by prescription on the Mayo Clinic Site. 


I'm going to assume you don't want me interpreting this kind of medical research for you, so I'm going to direct you to some good sources of additional information. 

• Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia published in JAMA 
• Common anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl linked to increased dementia risk published by Harvard Health Blog
• 'Strongest Evidence Yet' Links Anticholinergic Drugs, Dementia in Medscape. This article included a quote I found informative from Dr. Shelly Gray. "There is no data on how these drugs may affect younger people, but I personally will avoid taking anticholinergic agents."
• Common Sleep and Allergy Medications Linked to Dementia, Alzheimer’s published in AARP

If you're taking one of these medications, please talk with your doctor about the risks and your alternatives.

P.S. Just in case I peaked your interest, Spark is one of the other things I wish everyone would read.